Category: Family

Friday Favorites {02.10.23}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I have a note on my calendar today that Kindergarten enrollment opens today. Kindergarten. Have we really already passed the baby, toddler and preschool years with our oldest? Oh my goodness. I’m so excited for him, and he’s so ready. And still, I’d just give anything to go back to one more day with this little boy…

And now I’m casually crying at my computer…He was always Harrison. From the minute he was born. I look back at it now, and I can see it ever so clearly. His contemplative nature and the need to figure things out. His a million miles a minute “Hurricane Harrison” was there from the beginning. The doer, goer, tryer, confident little boy was always there.

Here I am off on a tangent again. But, alas, it feels monumental. Kindergarten.

We had a good week. Started it off with some nicer weather and being able to play outside, and then Chiefs Superbowl spirit week at school! Here’s a look at some things that brought a smile to my face this week.

Speaking of Harrison, Nathan and Harrison got back from their annual boys’ ski trip to Breckenridge. I love that Nathan wants to do this trip. I smile just thinking about these two spending one-on-one time together. And Harrison seems to be a natural picking up another activity…

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Let’s Look: At What’s In My Medicine Cabinet

Posted on by Lauren Lane

It’s Let’s Look day where we share a peak into some very random aspect of our lives!

Last month, I shared how I schedule/organize our family.

And today, I’m linking up with Shay and Erika to share a look at our “medicine cabinet.” And I do mean medicine cabinet.

Oh man. You know we have buckets of medicine. Pantloads of medicine in this house. We are in the pit of daycare germ central in the Lane house. Harrison has finally grown to an age where he really only gets super sick once or twice a year, and will have a few colds thrown in there. Jonathan, though. Bless. Our little COVID baby who was around people with masks from the time he was born until January of last year, woof. We have taken a beating on the cold front with him for the past year. All of us. Or really, mainly me since he practically wants to re-attach his umbilical cord and won’t let me go whenever he’s sick. If Jonathan’s sick, I can pretty much guarantee that my immune system will not withstand being coughed in the face, sneezed on, vomited on, used as a human Kleenex, and invariably the child steals my water bottle and puts all of his cold germs all over it.

Can you tell I’m a bit of a germaphobe? Not a good combination with a toddler who goes to full time daycare. But I’m working through it.

I debated on how to set up this post. Because I could probably go on for a looooong time about medicine. But since we’re looking at medicine cabinets, I’m going to share how I attack sicknesses around here…

At the first sign of sickness for anybody in this house:

I start with Elderberry syrup for everyone. I make my own, because it’s ridiculously expensive at the store and honestly super easy to make. But as soon as I see the snot rolling down my toddler’s face, out comes the elderberry. The boys actually love this stuff. It has honey in it, though, so it’s only ok if they are over the age of one. And, of course, you should always do your own research, talk to your pediatrician, etc. I’m just simply sharing what we do in this house 🙂

I buy a package of elderberries off of Amazon, and I use this recipe that lasts us about a month or more and we use it a loooot. I have yet to run out of elderberries either, and it’s been almost a year of doing this.

I myself start taking Zicam immediately and Emergen-C as soon as someone is sick in the house because….why not.

For the kids:

If it’s just a minor cold, I mostly let them ride it out without much intervention. If they’re complaining about how they’re feeling or have a cough, I opt for Hyland’s Children’s Daytime or Nightime and/or a teaspoon of honey for a cough. Again – only if they’re over one.

We have humidifiers going in their rooms at night all winter long. And we just ride it out.

If they have a fever that’s bothering them and they’re uncomfortable and not sleeping well, I throw in the ibuprofen as well.

I also usually add in a warm epsom salt bath in the evening to release toxins, and then some crazy cold wet sock trick that I read about on the internet.

What’s the cold sock treatment, you ask?

You soak lightweight cotton socks in ice water. Ring them out and put them on right after your bath, and cover with one or two pairs of dry heavy wool socks. The theory is that it puts your immune system into high gear over night as it works to warm your feet, and thus, works harder to fight off anything else your body is fighting, too. Does it work? I don’t know. Who can really say…but it seems to help the boys. And at the very least, they think it’s kind of cool to do something special.

Other items I always keep in our kids’ medicine cabinet: children’s Claritin, children’s Benadryl, Pedialyte, Stool softeners, and hydrocortisone. Nose frida…boogie wipes…the list could go on. 🙂

The adults medicine cabinet consists of: ibuprofen, Tylenol, DayQuil, NyQuil, Sore throat lozenges, Sinus congestion medicine, cough medicine, and Mucinex for colds. And then we have things like Pepto Bismal, Pepcid Complete for heartburn, and allergy meds.

Of course, we have a variety of first aid items as well: heating pads, band-aids of every variety and design, Neosporin, thermometers on every floor of the house, ice packs.

Those are the things that we arm ourselves with in this house!

Friday Favorites {02.03.23}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Well, old Punxsutawney Phil didn’t do us any favors yesterday by predicting six more weeks of winter. I don’t know that anyone puts much stock in whether a groundhog sees his shadow or not, but there is something about it that makes me ever so slightly bummed when it seems like every year he predicts more winter. It’s a thought of, “What if this groundhog really DOES know what’s in store for the next six weeks?” Similar to those email chains you’d get in the 2000’s. ‘Send this 20 people or bad luck for a year! ‘ Did I forward that email to twenty people every time? I sure did. Didn’t want to take any chances just in case it was legit.

But I digress…here are some of my favorites from the past (few) weeks! Happy Friday, friends!

A couple weeks ago, we packed our children up and sent them off to their Gigi and Pops for the most magical, relaxing 24 hours by ourselves I feel like I’ve ever experienced. Ha! It’s been over three years since we’ve been sans kids by ourselves overnight. Jonathan had never spent a night away from us. And oh my goodness…those 24 hours felt life-giving.

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What’s Up Wednesday {01.25.23}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Last week at work kicked my booty. And this week has been no walk in the park either. This January has flown by, and I’m not really sure that we’ve done much of anything but here’s a little peek at our January…

As always, I’m linking up with Shay and Sheaffer to share with you what’s going on in our life!

1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK: My parents brought me over a smoked pot roast that I’m planning on slow cooking this week as an easy meal. Such a huge help with how busy work has been the last couple of weeks. And later in the week, we’re going to do some homemade burrito bowls with carnitas, rice, and black beans.

2: WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

Kids grow up so fast. We all know that. The pictures and videos, though, of Jonathan a year ago at 1.5 versus the little boy in front of me at 2.5 is just wild how much they grow in that year. The way he talks now, understands things and tells us things about his day. It’s just so hard to believe that a year ago we were getting none of that!

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My 2023 Word of the Year

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Last year was the very first year that I picked a word of the year. Do you do this? I liked it so much more than resolutions for myself because I actually remembered it all year long. It was chiming in the back of my head so often, particularly in the midst of an argument. My word last year was “Listen.” And I truly found myself being more conscious to listen to my friends, coworkers, kids, and husband.

Back at the beginning of December I started thinking about a word I’d like to choose the upcoming year. And the one I kept coming back to was “Trust.”

The reason I picked “trust” was because I found myself often looking for other people’s validation of my choices. I found myself second-guessing my own thoughts a lot. I wanted to focus myself when I started to find myself swayed by other’s opinions and thoughts, or seeking out other’s approval, for the voice in the back of my head to whisper to me “trust.” Trust yourself.

Recently, given the path that we’re walking on this pregnancy and the ultrasounds we’ve had for this little one, my word that I picked for the year has taken on another meaning. Trust in our guts. Trust in God that he will walk us through what is before us. Trust that it will all be made good in His perfect timing.

How strange that the word came to me before it hit me like a ton of bricks of needing it? I love when it feels like there’s a reminder in everyday life that God’s walking with you already. Right there, walking with you through life.

We Need You To Come Back for Another Scan

Posted on by Lauren Lane

<<Current update: I’m choosing to share these very raw feelings and words I wrote down after we had a second ultrasound a few weeks ago to look at an area of our baby that didn’t seem quite right. There is still the possibility that our baby is completely healthy. Ultrasound technology and what they can see and determine while a baby is in utero has come a long ways, but it isn’t a complete picture. While we don’t have answers, and we may have no answers until this little one is born, the news that there may be something wrong with your baby is always jarring. No matter the severity. No matter the consequence. No matter past experience, modern medicine, and so many other things. I share these thoughts unaltered in their rawest form as a way of helping myself process, seeking prayers and community as there is strength in drawing support from others that we do not walk through this life alone, and in an attempt to be honest about real life. Our real life. Real life isn’t a straight line of perfect sequences after another. I would love for life to be pretty all of the time. But we all know that’s not the case. I started this space as a way of documenting our journey through life. Sharing the things that bring me joy, but also, the flip side of the same coin.

I won’t be sharing exact details of what they were looking at or what could potentially be wrong. We’re working with our doctors and specialists to determine what, if anything, we should do now. At the same time, we are spending time praying that despite all of the doctors’ best efforts to give us a more accurate picture of what is going on, that they truly just don’t know for sure, and there may be nothing wrong at all.>>

I spent yesterday crying. Crying, breaking down, crumbling. I swirled in a sea of google searches trying to make sense of what little they could tell on the ultrasound that something didn’t look quite right with our baby. I didn’t function yesterday. I looked at my two healthy boys and couldn’t push from my mind from that unknown of what was wrong with their younger sibling. And so I laid in bed. And on the bathroom floor. And crumbled. 

I feel like I searched desperately for someone to tell me that what was seen on the ultrasound was potentially nothing. Clinging to a hope that there will be nothing wrong once they can finally examine the baby after delivery. Clinging to potentially a false hope that everything will be fine.

But that’s what we do sometimes to protect our heart. We waffle between trying to make sense and coming to grips of two extremes. Whether nothing will be wrong to potentially a lifelong condition that will change everything we had envisioned as the future of this family. 

I don’t have any answers. No profound wisdom. I feel raw and exposed. Hope cracking. And so I trudge on. Trying to be kind to myself and my mind. Three more months seems infinite to live with unknowns. And yet not long enough to try to enjoy the last of potentially ordinary, easy days. 

I’d appreciate prayers for me and the baby. 

Specifically, for our doctors that are trying to guide us on next steps. 

Please pray that there is nothing wrong. 

For my strength and resilience to keep going for the baby and all of my boys. 

For Nathan as he shoulders the emotional weight of a wife struggling. 

For I the Lord God hold your right hand. It is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” -Isaiah 41:13

Christmas 2022: A Photo Diary

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I’m sitting at my kitchen counter with a bar of dark chocolate while one of our little boys naps upstairs after being sent home from daycare with a fever yesterday. Looking back through these pictures makes me eternally grateful. With little ones, I find myself treasuring any holiday we get without sickness and spent with family.

Here’s a look at how our winter break went…

Our annual making of our Chex Mix with the boys. I love a “recipe” that is so easy for kids this little, and they can snack while we make it.

And yes, we make it on the floor of the kitchen every year. It works for us.

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Grab Bag Q&A – Pregnancy Edition!

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I just wanted to quickly say a sincere ‘thank you’ for all of the well wishes and congratulations on my last post. I always feel a bit uncertain sharing such big life news for some reason. It’s such a vulnerable thing, even when it’s so exciting, and I just appreciate the kindness of you all.

Given that this pregnancy news is very new to the internet world, and we’re already almost halfway through this pregnancy, I wanted to answer for my blog friends certain questions that always seem to come up when I talk with girlfriends about family and having babies. And while I documented my second pregnancy with Jonathan on the blog, I don’t think I’ve ever talked about some basic family and pregnancy questions!

So, I thought it would be fun to have a chat between girlfriends, just like I do in real life about all things babies and pregnancy!

Did you always know you wanted to be a mom? No. I never really focused deeply on a life vision for myself. I didn’t as a little girl dream of a wedding, but assumed that someday I would meet someone I’d want to spend my life with and we’d build our lives together. Similarly, I never really envisioned myself as a mom when I was younger. The overthinker in me thought it sounded too hard and a whole heap of things out of your control. So even when I met Nathan, I wasn’t sure I wanted children, and he very much knew he wanted to be a dad.

My college roommate often marvels and jokes with me about how different I am than the person she knew so well in college. A girl who didn’t want any kids at all, felt so awkward being around little ones, and thought for sure that motherhood wasn’t for me.

That thought process changed over time. I can’t really point to one moment or set of circumstances that changed, but my heart eventually came around to the idea of wanting something more than just Nathan and myself.

What was the most surprising thing about pregnancy? I research everything. So truthfully, I wasn’t terribly surprised by much of the physical part of pregnancy. What did surprise me was the mental toll it takes on me. I don’t feel like myself and I struggle to find motivation to do things I generally enjoy when not pregnant. I definitely don’t feel my best self the entire time, and I don’t enjoy the process.

That being said, I’m really trying to enjoy this “last” one, and appreciate what my body does for me.

What does almost 38 year old to be mom wish you had known as a 33 year old new mom? Almost nothing works out the way you think it should. The birth, feeding, going home, new splitting of responsibilities with your partner. And it will all be ok. This too shall pass.

From a very practical standpoint, I had no idea that there were things you needed for breastfeeding and pumping aside from like…a pump. You guys, I was clueless. My sister came in clutch bringing me over a breastfeeding kit about a month before I had Harrison.

Biggest regret of pregnancy and post-partum? Aside from letting my post-partum depression after Harrison go undiagnosed and just suffering through it, which is honestly a HUGE, MASSIVE regret, I regret not doing newborn photos. So we are not making that mistake this time! I thought they were too much money and an unnecessary luxury after Harrison, Jonathan was born in the stinking middle of the COVID pandemic and I didn’t want any person that I wasn’t 100% sure didn’t have COVID around him, so here we are. I want newborn photos.

Are you staying in your house or planning on moving? We haven’t figured out where everyone is going to sleep yet, but we’re planning on staying where we are for now. We love our neighbors who have young kids and our location! I can’t decide whether I want the boys to share a room or if we take our upstairs playroom and turn it back into a bedroom so that all three kids can have their own rooms. What do you all think?

Have you thought about names? We’ve always had a girl name that we like, and still do. But we struggle with boy names. So if this is another boy, lord help us come up with the perfect name.

Are you finding out the gender? Yes. We’re going to find out the gender. We did early genetic testing, so we technically have the gender card from that.

Are you hoping it’s a girl? Woof. That’s a loaded question. Yes and no. I’d love a girl, but at this point, I’m also very happy being a boy mom. If I ended up with three boys, I’m sure there would be an initial sadness to not have a girl and the chance for a mother/daughter relationship, cute girl clothes, and maybe the chance to go pick out wedding dresses with her someday. But I know, similar to what happened after having Harrison, that a point would come that I couldn’t imagine life any other way.

There are so many mothers of three boys that I really admire, including having grown up next to a family of three boys who felt like brothers. I think there is something really special about being a mom of all boys. Our neighbor from growing up was truthfully one of the most impactful women in my childhood, just like a second mom and her love of her boys shaped how I saw how truly wonderful the mother/son relationship could be.

She passed away the year I had Harrison, and I’ll always remember one of her son’s eulogies at her funeral. He said, “Mom loved many things, but she loved being a mom the most of all. She loved being our mom.” More than anything else, I hope my kids can say that about me one day.

Are you sure this is it? Yes. I’m sure. I’m very confident that our family will feel complete after adding this little one. And that my body and mind can’t handle another pregnancy.

We’re Pregnant!

Posted on by Lauren Lane

We’re adding baby #3 to the Lane crew this spring! This little one’s due date will be right around mid-April, which is also the same time as Harrison’s birthday. I’m well into my second trimester now, and our 20 week sonogram is just a few weeks away after the Thanksgiving holiday.

It’s taken us so much longer this time around to be able to tell friends and family. Life already feels so busy with just two little ones, and we wanted to be able to tell as many people as we could in person.

I wrote the below post when we first found out we were pregnant, and I thought this was would be the perfect opportunity to share it……

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Our Christmas Holiday Traditions

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Before we get to today’s post, let me just encourage you US friends to get yourself to the polls today. It is Election Day and damn it, you deserve to make your voice heard. Your vote is important. So please please please, do your research before you go, show up with your post it note of who you’re going to vote for, and get your vote in. I spent an hour last week researching the candidates on my ballot and filling out my advanced ballot. I honestly enjoy this process so much understanding what candidates stand for and picking a person that I think is the best for the job they are running for. So go do your thing! Your voice matters. You matter!

Now onto some fun content…

This upcoming time of year always seems so full of traditions for many people! It’s such a great way to look forward to the season and its festivities. I’m sharing some of the traditions we’re planning on partaking in this holiday season, and I’d love to hear what your favorite holiday tradition is for the season in the comments!

The past couple of years, George, the Elf on a Shelf visits us starting on December 1. Last year, I got smart and purchased from a local mom-owned company an Elf kit for George to help me with fun activities for him to participate in over the season. Harrison loves finding George each morning, and I’m hoping this year, Jonathan may start to join in.

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